The background description provided herein is for the purpose of generally presenting the context of the disclosure. Work of the presently named inventors, to the extent it may be described in this background section, as well as aspects of the description that may not otherwise qualify as prior art at the time of filing, are neither expressly nor impliedly admitted as prior art against the present technology.
Water reacts spontaneously with lithium metal, presenting a difficulty for aqueous lithium battery technology. In addition, it is known that common organic electrolytes for Li batteries do not function well in the presence of water. In particular, any water in these electrolyte results in cell failure.
Batteries are commonly known to form solid-electrolyte interphases (SEIs) at the contact points of solid electrodes and liquid electrolytes. These SEIs are often a combination of electrode and electrolyte components, sometimes including decomposition products of said electrolytes. SEIs at times will passivate an electrode, diminishing conductivity. However, at other times, SEIs will also provide a protective layer, stabilizing the electrode against corrosion or other undesired side reactions. No SEI is currently known that enables a lithium anode to undergo stable cycling in the presence of water in the electrolyte.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide an improved method for protecting a lithium anode against water in electrolyte.